Disciplines Of Education

Are the disciplines of education ghosts of a productive past or creative and useful forms of inquiry? Are they in a demographic and organisational crisis today? The contribution of the ‘foundation disciplines’ of sociology, psychology, philosophy, history and economics to the study of education has always been contested in the UK and in much of the English-speaking world. But such debates are now being brought to a head in education by the demographic crisis. Recent research has shown that with the an ageing population of education academics, in ten years' time, there could be very few disciplinary specialists left working within faculties of education in UK universities. But does that matter and is the UK no more than a special case? How does this ‘crisis’ look from Europe where the disciplines of education are more embedded, and from the USA with its more diverse higher education system? In this book, leading scholars – including A.H. Halsey, David Bridges, John Furlong, Hugh Lauder, Martin Lawn and Sheldon Rothblatt – consider the changing fortunes of each discipline as education moved away from the dominance of psychology in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s as a result of the growing importance of the other disciplines and new social questions, and how the changing epistemological and political debates of the last twenty years haves resulted in their progressive demise. Finally, the book confronts the question as to whether the disciplines have a place in education in the twenty-first century. The book brings the coming crisis into the public view and explores the issue of the past, current and future relevance of the disciplines to the study of education. It will be of interest to all international academics and researchers in the field of education and the contributory disciplines as well as to students on educational research methods courses.

First published in 1967, this book suggests that educational problems should not, and indeed cannot, be solved in isolation, but that we need to bring all our disciplines and resources to bear upon them. It explores in turn philosophical, psychological and sociological approaches to educational theory and examines great thinkers such as Plato, R

First published in 1990, this book was the first to explore Foucault's work in relation to education, arguing that schools, like prisons and asylums, are institutions of moral and social regulation, complex technologies of disciplinary control where power and knowledge are crucial. Original and challenging, the essays assess the relevance of Foucault's work to educational practice, and show how the application of Foucauldian analysis to education enables us to see the politics of educational reform in a new light.

Are the disciplines of education ghosts of a productive past or creative and useful forms of inquiry? Are they in a demographic and organisational crisis today? The contribution of the ‘foundation disciplines’ of sociology, psychology, philosophy, history and economics to the study of education has always been contested in the UK and in much of the English-speaking world. But such debates are now being brought to a head in education by the demographic crisis. Recent research has shown that with the an ageing population of education academics, in ten years' time, there could be very few disciplinary specialists left working within faculties of education in UK universities. But does that matter and is the UK no more than a special case? How does this ‘crisis’ look from Europe where the disciplines of education are more embedded, and from the USA with its more diverse higher education system? In this book, leading scholars – including A.H. Halsey, David Bridges, John Furlong, Hugh Lauder, Martin Lawn and Sheldon Rothblatt – consider the changing fortunes of each discipline as education moved away from the dominance of psychology in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s as a result of the growing importance of the other disciplines and new social questions, and how the changing epistemological and political debates of the last twenty years haves resulted in their progressive demise. Finally, the book confronts the question as to whether the disciplines have a place in education in the twenty-first century. The book brings the coming crisis into the public view and explores the issue of the past, current and future relevance of the disciplines to the study of education. It will be of interest to all international academics and researchers in the field of education and the contributory disciplines as well as to students on educational research methods courses.

The National Science Foundation funded a synthesis study on the status, contributions, and future direction of discipline-based education research (DBER) in physics, biological sciences, geosciences, and chemistry. DBER combines knowledge of teaching and learning with deep knowledge of discipline-specific science content. It describes the discipline-specific difficulties learners face and the specialized intellectual and instructional resources that can facilitate student understanding. Discipline-Based Education Research is based on a 30-month study built on two workshops held in 2008 to explore evidence on promising practices in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. This book asks questions that are essential to advancing DBER and broadening its impact on undergraduate science teaching and learning. The book provides empirical research on undergraduate teaching and learning in the sciences, explores the extent to which this research currently influences undergraduate instruction, and identifies the intellectual and material resources required to further develop DBER. Discipline-Based Education Research provides guidance for future DBER research. In addition, the findings and recommendations of this report may invite, if not assist, post-secondary institutions to increase interest and research activity in DBER and improve its quality and usefulness across all natural science disciples, as well as guide instruction and assessment across natural science courses to improve student learning. The book brings greater focus to issues of student attrition in the natural sciences that are related to the quality of instruction. Discipline-Based Education Research will be of interest to educators, policy makers, researchers, scholars, decision makers in universities, government agencies, curriculum developers, research sponsors, and education advocacy groups.

This book is a comprehensive, student-friendly text, introducing you to the main education disciplines in one handy volume. In a lively and accessible manner, it examines the academic disciplines that underpin our understanding of education and the contexts within which learning takes place. The book covers the seven main subject disciplines that contribute to education as a broad field of study - history of education, politics of education, philosophy of education, economics of education, sociology of education, psychology of education and comparative education. Key features include: Seven extended chapters all written by specialist and experienced academics in their field A brief overview and history at the beginning of each chapter, followed by a selection of key themes and topics within the discipline Boxed summaries of key theorists and researchers throughout each chapter Tasks for the reader, along with extensive referencing and suggestions for further reading and research Studying Education is essential reading for students on Education Studies or PGCE courses, as well as all of those interested in or involved with education or schooling. Contributors: Rebecca Allen, Clyde Chitty, Will Curtis, Barry Dufour, Diahann Gallard, Angie S. Garden, Debbie Le Play, Richard Waller "This book provides an authoritative, ‘state of the art’ introduction to the key disciplines of education studies. It provides useful study activities and concise introductory notes on key texts, key figures, key centres and key journals in each discipline. A valuable and highly readable addition to the education studies literature." Clive Harber, Professor of International Education, University of Birmingham, UK "This book aims to explore the disciplines that are the “foundation” education disciplines: History, Politics, Philosophy, Economics, Sociology, Psychology and Comparative Education. The editors claim that their key aim is to “provide a general overview of each subject [...] enabling the readers to explore each discipline in greater depth” (page1). This book offers an overview of the disciplines that have been dominant in education. The disciplines the editors have chosen to include in this book thus illustrate a range of diverse approaches to the study of education. The book is written in an accessible style for undergraduate students embarking on inquiry into the nature of education studies and the disciplines that may be important. Interestingly the chapters in this book will also help students to refine their understanding of historical, political, socio-economical and psychological aspects that are interrelated in the study of education. Although the authors of individual chapters develop a discussion of their discipline in each chapter, they successfully and consistently apply their disciplinarity thus offering students opportunities to discuss the identity of education studies and debate the relevance of disciplines in the development of educational thought. Chapter One offers a rigorous and critical approach to key historical developments in education, attempting a useful heuristic consideration to all levels of education and covering a number of factors such as women and education, ethnicity, race and religion in order that students are inducted into the wider socio-political developments of education. The second chapter offers a different, but relevant, dimension to the first chapter by examining the role of politics in education, debating issues around power, conflict and change and for the development of educational thinking such a chapter debating policy-making and politics is vitally important. The third chapter on philosophy of education is central to the study of the foundation disciplines of education as philosophical approaches influence and underpin education studies in terms of history, policy, research and practice. The next chapter debates the economics of education and is particularly welcomed especially in an era that there is a decline in the study of this topic. The next two chapters examine sociological and psychological aspects of education studies.Finally the last chapter raises an interesting debate of the academic disciplinarity of comparative education, drawing upon the challenges of organisational support, funding and policy making. Overall throughout the book the students are encouraged to avoid fragmentation and to develop an educational thinking beyond disciplinary perspectives without losing the relativity of education to these disciplines and their contribution to the development of the 21st educational thinking." Ioanna Palaiologou, The University of Hull

This book offers critical explorations of how the psy-disciplines, Michel Foucault’s collective term for psychiatry, psychology and psycho-analysis, play out in contemporary educational spaces. With a strong focus on Foucault’s theories, it critically investigates how the psy-disciplines continue to influence education, both regulating and shaping behaviour and morality. The book provides insight into different educational contexts and concerns across a child’s educational lifespan; early childhood education, inclusive education, special education, educational leadership, social media, university, and beyond to enable reflection and critique of the implications of psy-based knowledge and practice. With chapters by a mixture of established and emerging international scholars in the field this is an interdisciplinary and authoritative study into the role of the psy-disciplines in the education system. Providing vivid illustrations from throughout the educational lifespan the book serves as an invaluable tool for reflection and critique of the implications of psy-based practice, and will be of particular interest to academics and scholars in the field of education policy and psychology.

At the time this book was first published the disciplines of philosophy of education, educational psychology, sociology of education and the history of education had developed rapidly. The papers in this volume outline the developments that took place. The first paper analyses the nature of a theory concerned with determining practice and the place of academic disciplines within that. What emerges is the crucial role of these disciplines, but also the need to develop much more adequately a domain of practical principles, assessed and critically reformulated in the light of those disciplines. The following papers are concerned with the contributions four of those disciplines are now making.